In previous seasons under head coach Deion Sanders, Jackson State players were well-represented on the All-SWAC preseason and postseason selections en route to dominating the SWAC.
But in 2023, the defending two-time conference champions had just one player named to the preseason All-SWAC team this season in tight end D.J. Stevens. Last season, six Tigers were on the 2022 All-SWAC preseason roster.
The junior in 2022 had 38 receptions for 382 yards and four touchdowns for a JSU team that won the conference for the second consecutive season and made another trip to the Celebration Bowl.
This year, there is no Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, or Aubrey Miller among the 19 players who exited the program in the offseason leading the way and cementing Jackson State as the team to beat in the conference.
The lack of Jackson State players throughout the All-SWAC team signifies a bit of the luster lost from the short-lived Coach Prime era.
“Everybody knows that we had a lot of turnover on our roster,” said first-year head coach TC Taylor at SWAC Media Day. “You lose a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders and a phenomenal player like Travis Hunter from our team, and people think that we’re going to struggle a bit this year. But I’ve seen it every day with our football team and what we will be bringing to the table this year.”
Despite Jackson State no longer being favored to win the SWAC East or now featuring the same star power on its roster, Taylor is confident the program will not miss a beat.
“You know, the games have got to be played,” he said. “These players that we have coming back, we gotta go out there and show everybody what we’re made of at Jackson State.”
